Hotels, attractions go extra mile to help workers save on gas

Cover Story

August 11, 2008|By Sara K. Clarke, Sentinel Staff Writer

Scott Clements drives 23 miles, one way, to his job at Walt Disney World. Nathalie Russo travels a similar distance, from Poinciana.

Through a new car-pool pilot program at the Magic Kingdom, the two Disney employees have cut back on their commuting costs by sharing rides whenever possible. They both also help facilitate the program, which in minutes can provide employees with a list of interested car-pool riders and drivers in their area. From there, it's up to the employees to work out the details.

"I think I've saved, so far, about 150 miles on my car and about a full tank of gas," said Russo, who meets Clements on a common road and splits the driving duties. "I think everyone's pretty much interested in saving a few dollars at the end of the week."

Car-pool programs like Disney's are one way Orlando's tourism industry is trying to help workers cope with the rising cost of gasoline. The average worker in the local leisure-and-hospitality field was paid $23,533 in 2007, according to data released by the Metro Orlando Economic Commission. That's 2.9 percent more than the year before -- meanwhile, the price of regular gas jumped 30.9 percent, and has continued climbing in 2008.

The sharp rise in gas prices has created a dilemma for the industry's human-resource departments: How to keep commuting costs from eating up their workers' wages.

"We've got a whole committee that works on things like that," said Peter Kacheris, general manager of the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort. Kacheris said he has invited "club stores" like Costco, BJ's Wholesale and Sam's Club to sell memberships in the employee cafeteria; two colleagues can split the $35 membership fee, giving them each access to the club's cheaper gas and bulk food.

The hotel also posts cheap-gas Web sites on employee kiosks, calls attention to employee discounts, and offers things like postage machines and an in-house notary to cut down on the need to run errands in the car or truck. While everyone is feeling pain at the pump, some are suffering more than others.

"I think everybody is feeling affected by it," Kacheris said. "But obviously, if your daily income is lower, the price of gas is still the same."

Nationally, interest in commuting-related benefits is rising. The percentage of companies reporting they offer some kind of telecommuting option jumped from 4 percent in 2007 to 18 this year, according to a survey of about 550 HR managers by the Society for Human Resource Management. The use of public-transportation discounts rose from 6 percent in 2007 to 14 percent this year.

But commuting subsidies can be difficult to sustain, especially for small businesses with slim profit margins. The rising cost of health-care and other mainstream benefits is also a consideration, said Bob Cartwright, president of Intelligent Compensation LLC, a Texas-based consulting company.

"I think there's more economic demand today on an employer," Cartwright said. "It's just getting tougher and tougher to figure out how you're going to dole out the dollars."

Fun Spot of Florida has for years paid employees a monthly stipend if they agree to place a Fun Spot car topper on their vehicle's roof, similar to what a pizza delivery driver would use. The number of employees taking advantage of the program has doubled since April.

"It's helping our hourly employees, but we're trying to get some advertising out of it as well," said Mark Brisson, director of marketing for the midway-and-arcade amusement centers. "Now about 10 percent of the employees are taking advantage of it."

Other local efforts are varied. SeaWorld Orlando offers pre-tax bus passes and is offering gas-station gift cards as part of its daily employee raffle. "This summer, of course, gas is an issue on many people's minds," said Becca Bides, a SeaWorld spokeswoman. "It was a natural choice for a prize that would be highly valued over the summer."

The Caribe Royale Orlando offers free monthly bus passes to its employees. The Gaylord Palms Resort launched an online car-pool tool and organized a "savings fair" to help its employees learn about energy efficiency and home-maintenance tips. Orlando-based Wyndham Vacation Ownership is rolling out a car-pool program at its properties across the U.S.

Employees at Rosen Hotels & Resorts can purchase their Lynx bus passes via payroll deduction. The locally based hotel company is also starting up a car-pool directory on the corporate intranet, and some departments have switched to a four-day workweek with 10-hour shifts to save gas.

Such creative scheduling isn't new for large hotels in the tourist zone. The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress instituted a four-day workweek in its laundry department after the September 2001 terrorist attacks to increase efficiencies during the subsequent travel slump.

Deavia Morgan, the department's supervisor, commutes to work with her son, who has a similar schedule. With the four-day workweek and car pooling, they're jointly saving $120 a month on commuting costs.

"We've been doing it for a couple of years," she said. "Everybody seems to like it, because you have three consecutive days off."